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The environment in psychiatric inpatient care is key to patient recovery and staff job satisfaction. In this qualitative study of patient and staff experiences of a new spatial design in psychiatric inpatient care, we analysed data from 11 semi-structured interviews with patients and five focus group discussions with staff using qualitative content analysis. The new design contributed to feelings of safety and recovery, but patients and staff also reported some frustration and added stress. The results lead us to conclude that while the new spatial design improves some conditions for recovery and job satisfaction, the design itself is simply not enough. Changes in care environments require that both patients and staff be informed and involved in the renovation to ensure that patients feel respected and staff feel confident in using the new environment before and during treatment and follow-ups

Background: Research shows that worn-out physical environments are obstacles to psychiatric inpatient care. Patients want better relationships with staff and things to do; staff want an environment that offers hope, a calm atmosphere, and joint activities. A county council in northern Sweden and Philips Healthcare partnered to create solutions to the environmental challenges of psychiatric inpatient care. One ward at a county psychiatric clinic was selected for a pilot project to test solutions that could improve the care environment for patients, staff, and relatives. The aim of the overall project is to evaluate the effects of a newly designed psychiatric inpatient ward on patients and staff in terms of quality of care and stress. In this study, we focus on the feasibility through testing questionnaires and exploring barriers to recruiting staff and patients.

Methods: This study had a single-system experimental design, comparing a psychiatric unit pre- and post-implementation of the novel spatial design, using repeated measures with the same questionnaires twice a week during baseline and intervention phases. Primary outcomes were quality interactions (patients) and perceived stress (staff). Secondary outcomes were levels of anxiety and depression (patients), and stress of conscience (staff). A process evaluation was aimed to describe contextual factors and participant experiences of the new design. Data was collected using questionnaires and semi-structured individual interviews with patients and focus group discussions with staff. Both visual and statistical methods were used to analyse the quantitative data and content analysis for the qualitative data.

Discussion: The findings will contribute insights into whether and how a new spatial design might contribute to quality interactions and reduced stress. This is relevant both nationally and internationally, as similar interventions are needed but sparse. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03140618, registered 4 May 2017.

Scoliosis surgery for adolescents is a major surgery with a diffi cult recovery. In this study, a mixed-methods design was used to broaden the scope of adolescents' experiences of surgery for idiopathic scoliosis and the trajectory of self-reported pain during the hospital stay and through the fi rst 6 months of recovery at home. Self-reports of pain, diaries, and interviews were analyzed separately. The results were then integrated with each other. The trajectory of self-reported pain varied hugely between individuals. Adolescents experienced physical suffering and struggled to not be overwhelmed. The adolescents described the environmental and supportive factors that enabled them to cope and how they hovered between suffering and control as they strived toward normality. This study highlights areas of potential improvement in perioperative scoliosis care in terms of nursing support and pain management.

The interaction between people with intellectual disabilities and professional carers is often influenced by communicative difficulties contributing challenging behaviours. The aims of this study were to evaluate to a web-based training program aimed at improving carers' abilities to interact with people with learning disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviours and to explore carers' experiences of participating in such a program. A single-subject experimental design and mixed methods were used to integrate qualitative and quantitative data. Triangulation of questionnaires, interviews with carers, and assessments of one woman's behaviour was performed. The participants were professional carers aged 20 to 55 years. The web-based training program increased carers' abilities to handle challenging behaviours and decreased challenging behaviours in daily care. The program improved the opportunities to offer training to carers who work in community-based accommodations with limited time to receive training.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe stress symptoms among adolescents before and after scoliosis surgery and to explore correlations with postoperative pain.

BACKGROUND: Scoliosis surgery is a major surgical procedure. Adolescent patients suffer from preoperative stress and severe postoperative pain. Previous studies indicate that there is a risk of traumatisation and psychological complications during the recovery period.

DESIGN: A prospective quantitative cohort study with consecutive inclusion of participants.

METHODS: A cohort of 37 adolescent patients aged 13-18. To assess the adolescents' experiences before surgery and at six to eight months after surgery, the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children - Alternative version, Youth Self-Report and Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for children 12-18 were used. The Visual Analogue Scale was used for self-report of postoperative pain on day three.

RESULTS: Rates of anxiety/depression and internalising behaviour were significantly higher before surgery than six months after. Preoperative anger, social problems and attention problems correlated significantly with postoperative pain on day three. At follow-up, postoperative pain correlated significantly with anxiety, social problems and attention problems.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate a need for interventions to reduce perioperative stress and postoperative pain to improve the quality of nursing care.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Attention to preoperative stress and implementation of interventions to decrease stress symptoms could ameliorate the perioperative process by reducing levels of postoperative pain, anxiety, social and attention problems in the recovery period.

ACCESSIBLE SUMMARY: • Communicative difficulties affect interactions between people with learning disabilities and their carers. • Interactions between carers and residents in special accommodations for people with learning disabilities were recorded on video and skilled interactions were illuminated. • Results of the study show that skilled interaction between the carers and the people with learning disabilities is based upon being confirming, sharing daily life experience, giving time and space, and using congruent and distinct language.

ABSTRACT: Communicative difficulties affect interactions between people with learning disabilities and their carers. Despite such difficulties, however, some carers seem to interact successfully with people who have limited ability to communicate verbally and exhibit challenging behaviour. This study aims to illuminate skilled interaction among carers working in special accommodations for people with learning disabilities. Interactions between 16 caregivers and 11 residents with learning disabilities were recorded on video. Verbal and non-verbal interaction skills among the carers were identified. Four caring situations with people with learning disabilities were chosen to illuminate skilled interaction. The transcribed text was subjected to qualitative content analysis and core stories were created. The results show that skilled interaction between the carers and the people with learning disabilities is based upon being confirming, sharing daily life experience, giving time and space, and using congruent and distinct language. In this paper we present examples that offer concrete suggestions of how to promote successful interaction and create meaning in the shared day-to-day life in special accommodations for people with learning disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Scoliosis surgery is one of the most extensive elective surgical processes performed on young people. Although there is a great store of knowledge of surgical techniques, patients' experiences of going through surgery have not been extensively studied. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to describe how a cohort of young people and their parents retrospectively rate postoperative pain and nausea and describe their experiences of scoliosis surgery. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, 87 young people aged 8-25 years with scoliosis who underwent corrective surgery from 2004 to 2007 were invited to complete a questionnaire, as were their parents. The semistructured questionnaire dealt with experiences of pain, nausea, and global satisfaction pre- and posthospitalization, assessed by visual analogue scales. The free text commentaries were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 51 patients (59%) and 65 parents (75%) answered the questionnaires. Out of the completed questionnaires, 41 had idiopathic, 23 neuromuscular, and 6 other types of scoliosis. Postoperative patient-rated pain was severe 7.3 (median, interquartile range 5-8.4, visual analogue scale 0-10 cm), and the severe pain lasted for 5 (median, 2.7-7.0) days. Nausea was rated to a median of 5 (1.1-7.3) and lasted for a median of 3 (1-5.2) days. Global satisfaction was rated to a median of 3.2 (1.5-5.2). Postoperative pain was the most prominent issue, and present pain was found in 51% of respondents. Nausea and loss of appetite were common during the entire hospital stay. Waiting for the nurses' assistance, lack of control, and technical failures with the analgesia equipment caused discomfort. Parents experienced a lack of confidence in the nurses and felt helpless to support their child or relieve the child's suffering. CONCLUSION: Young people who underwent scoliosis surgery reported severe postoperative pain and nausea during the hospitalization period and persistent and recent onset pain after discharge, although they did not indicate global dissatisfaction with the hospital stay.

People with intellectual disabilities (ID) often exhibit physical and communicative difficulties as well as challenging behaviors. Physical restraints are one method used to manage challenging behaviors and promote physical safety for people with ID, their fellow residents, and professional carers. However, there is a lack of data regarding the practice of employing physical restraints in Swedish group homes for people with ID. The aim was to investigate the prevalence of physical restraint use in group homes for people with ID, and to identify the characteristics of individuals subjected to these restraints. The study had a cross-sectional design and included 556 people with ID, aged 16–90 years, living in 118 group homes. Physical restraint use and residents' characteristics were surveyed with a questionnaire. Of the 556 residents studied, 99 (17.8%) had been subjected to physical restraint over the previous week. Of these, 99.2% were subjected to more than one type of restraint. The most commonly used type of physical restraint was a belt (73.7%). Using logistic regression analysis, the independent risk factors strongly associated with being physically restrained were inability to walk independently, impaired speech, screaming and shouting continuously, epileptic seizures, and spasticity. Despite the absence of legal authority for physical restraint use in group homes for people with ID, physical restraints are frequently used in Sweden. Both physical impairments and behavioral symptoms are significantly associated with physical restraint use.

People with learning disabilities and their professional carers often have difficulty interacting. The aim of this study was to illuminate carers' reflections on their interactions with adult people with learning disabilities. In a previous study, interactions between 16 carers and 11 residents with learning disabilities were recorded on video. In this study, stimulated recall interviews about the interactions were carried out with all the carers. The text was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that the carers reflected on both successful and unsuccessful interaction. Examples of successful interaction included understanding cues, satisfying needs, and managing challenging behaviours, and the carers reflected on the influences that successful interaction had on security, confidence, and satisfaction among the residents. Examples of unsuccessful interaction included failing to understand cues, failing to satisfy needs and failing to manage challenging behaviours, and the carers reflected on the consequences of such interaction, which included irritation, aggression and violence among the residents. Our findings have implications for interventions aimed at strengthening the competence of carers and developing strategies for managing challenging behaviour, in order to ensure high-quality care and a good working climate. © 2008 The Authors.